Blog - New Server Rack

For almost every business in operation today, server rack
enclosures are an extremely important aspect of their daily functions. These
open frame racks, which are used to store computer server equipment, allow
businesses to create dense hardware configurations without requiring excessive
floor space or shelving. By using custom server rack enclosures, a company can
achieve proper functionality while also protecting its IT system and meeting
aesthetic goals. But as useful as these implementations already are, a number
of projects being undertaken by some of the leading technology companies
suggest that this is only the beginning.

Despite the many benefits of server rack enclosures, a major problem with
modern IT systems is found in the computers themselves: as computer usage
increases with the rise of cloud computing and other innovative approaches,
these devices require an equivalent amount of energy to support everyday
services. Because of this, a report from Greenpeace shows that data centers
around the world, which often run 24 hours a day, contribute as much as 2% of
the world's carbon emissions. This is not only damaging to the environment, but
also expensive for companies to support. As a result, some of the biggest
brands are now trying to go green: Apple, for example, recently announced that
it plans to spend $850 million on a California solar farm, which will support almost
all of its operations in the state. Likewise, Google currently fuels its
headquarters with wind power, and Amazon recently announced it plans to invest
in a wind farm as well. However, the most innovative and unusual approach to
this problem might be Microsoft's: the company is currently designing a fuel
cell they will integrate into their server rack enclosures as a futuristic
server power distribution unit.

Partnered with the National Fuel Cell Research Center and a Maryland-based
company called Redox Power Systems LLC, Microsoft's planned fuel cell would
transform natural gas into a high-quality, consistent stream of electricity.
Unlike other fuel cells, which are bulky, extremely hot and expensive, the
companies hope to create something smaller, cheaper, and more responsive. The
device would also use natural gas instead of hydrogen. If the project is
successful, designers have planned out a network of tubes throughout
Microsoft's buildings, which would transport natural gas to the data center
racks, fueling the data center while cutting out the power companies that
currently supply their energy needs.

To accomplish this lofty and unusual goal, Microsoft has hired some of the best
minds in the small field of data center energy design; at least one admits that
other companies likely think the project is crazy. However, the idea of server
rack enclosures acting as a self-generating power source is appealing. While
this technology likely won't be successfully implemented, much less widely
available, for several more years, it is representative of the high priority
this necessary equipment places on innovation. Ask yourself: does your data
center need server rack enclosures to organize and improve its functions?